This weekend the town where I live in Colorado had its annual music festival. Going to the festival is one of my favorite ways to visit with people in the community that I may not see much of. When I first got to the festival on Saturday morning, I had a nice long chat with a man I know, about how happy he and his wife are to be raising their two young daughters in our peaceful small-town atmosphere, even though making a living here isn’t easy. Later, a woman I had met when we first came here in 1996 remembered me, and we caught up on things. Then I saw the people who bought our house when we left here for Mexico in 2005. Then a friend who is usually a self-described hermit and then… well, you get the idea.

And the music! There are familiar local groups, hot regional groups, and national headliners. This year, Tower of Power was here from California for Saturday night. There’s something magical about dancing outside at sunset, with people you know around you, also dancing to the beat of some jazz, salsa, or other lively music. Of course, people come from other towns, too.. and we know some of them.

This year, we had a family member visiting from out of town. She commented at one point about the “vibrant old hippies” in the crowds. I guess I’m used to that, as I noticed more how many young children were running around, how many babies were being held as adults danced with them.

The festival is put on by a dedicated group of hard-working people, and all their efforts pay off in one of the most joyous events on my calendar! I’m already looking forward to next year.